In July, EU rules came into force which require that new vehicles have intelligent speed assistance technology – speed limiters – as standard. While the UK doesn’t come under these regulations for now, it’s likely to be impacted similarly as the same vehicles will be sold across both markets.

 

So, what does this mean for drivers and fleets? And are our roads about to get a lot safer? Let’s find out more.

 

What is intelligent speed assistance?

Intelligent speed assistance (ISA) uses a combination of camera and GPS technology to ascertain what the speed limit of each road is. If the car is travelling over the limit, the vehicle can restrict the engine to decelerate the car and warn the driver via the dashboard and an audible sound. Certainly, initial technology will be overridable by the driver, but EU law states that ISA must be active every time the vehicle is started.

 

ISA isn’t new. The technology already exists and is fitted in a number of vehicles on our roads today. The current Ford Focus was the first vehicle to have it fitted as standard.

 

What impact is ISA going to have on road safety?

ISA is part of a group of regulations designed to help improve road traffic collisions and therefore injuries and casualties. Other measures which are listed in the legislation include tyre pressure monitoring systems, advanced emergency braking systems and lane departure warning systems.

 

The measures are part of the EU’s response to reduce global casualties by 50% from 2020 to 2030 which was set out in the Stockholm Declaration, in conjunction with the World Health Organisation.

 

The potential positive impact on road safety is significant. The European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) calculates that a 1km/h reduction in speed would save 2,100 lives per year across Europe and that effective intelligent speed assistance alone would reduce casualties by 20%. But, as with all safety measures, there are additional implications that all drivers and businesses need to be aware of to maximise the safety opportunity and avoid potential hazards.

 

What do drivers and businesses need to be aware of?

Firstly, no ISA system is 100% accurate, according to current studies. The best systems are delivering 95% accuracy, which is why they have been designed to be disabled by the driver if they are found to be failing. To manage this, drivers will need to be educated and trained on the use of systems such as ISA to make sure they fully understand how they work and what to do if they don’t.

 

This isn’t the only further training drivers will need. One of the concerns / considerations academics have raised about ISA systems is the area of resistance of responsibility. Will drivers get so used to their vehicle monitoring and controlling speed for them that they then don’t notice they’re going too fast in an area where a limit has been lowered or the speed limit isn’t appropriate for the circumstances?

 

For example, where 30mph may be the speed limit, in some cases this will be far too high if traffic is heavy and there are a lot of pedestrians around. Therefore, surrendering decision making has the potential to be very dangerous for drivers and other road users if they aren’t trained adequately.

 

Looking ahead today

While the legal implications of ISA are impacting the EU now, it is thought that the UK won’t be too far behind. Despite the UK not having acted already to make ISA systems legal, ISA systems are already on the roads. We will see a rise in this technology as vehicle manufacturers are unlikely to make UK versions of each model without ISA. It is estimated that by around 2029 / 2030 a third of all registered vehicles will have intelligent speed assistance fitted.

 

With ongoing driver training, the benefits of ISA technology in improving road safety will be realised and the risks will be mitigated. Ideally this training should be tailored to the specific needs of a business and how its drivers are using vehicles and the roads.

 

For further information, take a read of our whitepaper Intelligent Speed Assistance where we explore the topic in more detail.


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